Business Management Danone

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ————————————————- CONTENTS PAGE introduction3 literature review4 swot analysis4 external factors4 organizational structures5 hofstede’s theory5 cultural elements5 motivation6 danone’s analysis7 I- strategic analysis7 1- DANONE’s industry7 2- swot analysis8 3- exploring new opportunities 11 II- organizational analysis12 1- external factors12 2- DANONE’s organizational strucure13 3- home country’s culture impact15 – DANONE’s motivational system16 conclusion and recommendations 18 bibliography19 appendices21 ————————————————- INTRODUCTION We have chosen the group DANONE because it is a world-famous leading French group, which is often recognised for its management leadership. DANONE is a food-produc ts multinational corporation based in Paris. It is the world leader in fresh dairy products, 2nd in bottled water and baby food and European leader in clinical nutrition.Business Management Study GuideBeing a leader in these 4 segments corresponding to the heavy trends of consumption and deriving more than 50% of its turnover from developing countries have helped the Group to secure a 6,9 % growth in 2010 despite the down turn of world economy. It is obvious that to be able to be successful on these highly competitive markets, a company owes to apply a good strategy. The group is also supported by an effective communication and by a strong involvement in Research and development where they spend 1% of their global turn over.But above all these, with its fast development in emerging countries often through joint ventures and its switch in 2007 of 40% of its activities from biscuits to baby and clinical food, what has been critical to insure its success through these drastic changes h as been the management of the group under the strong leadership of Franck Riboud who succeeded, as chairman and CEO of DANONE, to his father Antoine in 1996.Through this study, we shall show how DANONE possesses a real identity very present in its management and organization and that this cultural model, initiated since the early 70’s by Antoine Riboud and enhanced by Frank Riboud, has been key to the Group success. ————————————————- LITERATURE REVIEW * SWOT analysis â€Å"A strategic planning tool that includes external and internal factors and is utilized by businesses and other organizations to ensure that there is a clear objective defined for the project or venture, and that all factors related to the effort – positive and negative – are identified and addressed. (Tatum, 2010) The SWOT’s process involves four areas of consideration: * Stre ngths: characteristics of the business or team that give it an advantage over others in the industry. * Weaknesses: are characteristics that place the firm at a disadvantage relative to others. * Opportunities: external chances to make greater sales or profits in the environment. * Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business. Identification of SWOTs is essential because subsequent steps in the process of planning for achievement of the selected objective may be derived from the SWOTs. External factors According to David Buchanan and Andrzej Huczynski (5th edition), external factors of a business organization include: * Macro-environment factors (PESTLE analysis): â€Å"identifying the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Ecological factors affecting an organization. † * Micro-environment factors (Porter’s â€Å"Five Forces†): * Competitive rivalry * Threat of new entry * Buyer power * Threat of substit ution * Supplier power * Organizational structuresBased again on David Buchanan and Andrzej Huczynski (5th edition), organizational structure is: â€Å"The format system of task and reporting relationships that controls, coordinates and motivates employees so that they work together to achieve organizational goals. † The purpose of organization structure is, first, to divide up organizational activities and allocate them to sub-units and, second, to co-ordinate and control theses activities so that they achieve the aims of the organization. * Hofstede’s Theory You can read also Portfolio Management QuizzesHofstede’s research gives us insights into other cultures so that we can be more effective when interacting with people in other countries. As it was clearly defined at Alan Godsave’s lecture (2011), Hofestede’s cultural dimensions are: * Individualism: People look after selves and immediate family only. * Masculinity: dominant social values are success, money, and things. * Power distance: Less powerful members accept that power is distributed unequally. * Uncertainty avoidance: people feel threatened by ambiguous situations; create beliefs/institutions to avoid such situations. * Time and Relationship dimensions. Cultural Elements According to Bauer and Erdogan (2009):  «Ã‚  Culture can be understood in terms of seven different culture dimensions, depending on what is most emphasized within the organization. For example, innovative cultures are flexible and adaptable, and they experiment with new ideas, while stab le cultures are predictable, rule-oriented, and bureaucratic. Strong cultures can be an asset or a liability for an organization but can be challenging to change. Organizations may have subcultures and countercultures, which can be challenging to manage.  » Culture dimensions (the organization culture profile): Innovative * Aggressive * Outcome-oriented * Stable * People-oriented * Team-oriented * Detail-oriented * Motivation â€Å"The cognitive, decision-making process through which goal-directed behaviour is initiated, energized, and directed and maintained. †(David Buchanan and Andrzej Huczynski, 5th edition) Motivation can be regarded as a broad concept, which includes preferences for particular outcomes, strength of effort (half-hearted or enthusiastic) and persistence (in the face of barriers). These are the factors that we have to understand in order to explain our motivation and behaviour.These are the factors that a manager has to appreciate in order to motivate em ployees to behave in organizationally desirable ways. ————————————————- ANALYSIS I – STRATEGIC ANALYSIS 1 – DANONE’S INDUSTRY History, according to DANONE official website, www. danone. fr The original company bearing the corporate name was founded in 1919 by Isaac Carasso in Barcelona (Spain) as a small factory producing yoghurt initially sold in Pharmacy. The factory was named Danone, a Catalan diminutive of the name of his first son. Ten years later, the first French factory was built. Also you can read  Business Ethics ComprisesIn 1967, Danone merged with Gervais, the leading fresh cheese producer in France and became Gervais Danone. Another branch of Group Danone descended from industrial glassmaker BSN, which was founded by the family of Antoine Riboud. He transformed BSN into one of Europe's leading food groups in the 1970s through a series of acquisitions and mergers, including the 1973 merger with Gervais Danone. The acquisitions initially took the shape of vertical integration, acquiring brewer Kronenbourg and Evian mineral water that were the glassmaker's largest customers. In 1973, the company merged with Gervais Danone and began to expand internationally.In 1979, the company abandoned glassmaking. In 1987, Gervais Danone acquired European biscuit manufacturer General Biscuit, owners of the LU brand, and, in 1989, it bought out the European biscuit operations of Nabisco. In 1994, BSN changed its name to Groupe Danone, adopting the name of the groupâ€⠄¢s best-known international brand. Franck Riboud succeeded his father, Antoine, as the company's chairman and CEO in 1996. Under Riboud junior, the company continued to pursue its focus on three product groups (dairy, beverages, and cereals) and divested itself of several activities, which had become non-core.From 1999 to 2006, the group sold its glass-containers business, its European and Chinese beer activities, its Italian cheese and meat businesses, and its sauces business. Despite these divestitures, Danone continues to expand internationally in its 3 core business units, emphasising health and well-being products. In July 2007, it was announced that Danone had reached agreement with Kraft to sell its biscuits division, including the LU and Prince brands. Also in July 2007 Danone bought the Dutch baby food and clinical nutrition company Numico creating the world's second largest manufacturer of baby food.Facts 2010 Sales: 17 080 million euros Operational profit: 2 578 million euros. Employees: 101 000 Factories: 159 World Ranking in the food industry: 5th CAC 40 (Paris stock exchange) ranking in capitalization: 9th Activities, Brands (DANONE official data and information, available at www. danone. com) – Fresh dairy products: with 20 % of the world market (35 % in certain countries) and a presence in about forty countries, Danone is the leader on this market. This activity, representing 57 % of the turnover of the Group, recorded an increase of 6,5 % in 2010.The strategy of the Group within the world market of the dairy products is to lean on innovations products centred on â€Å"helping your health † and on local adaptation of its brands. Main brands: Danone, first world mark with Danone, Actimel, Activia, Danonino (Small Gervais in Fruits), Vitalinea (Taillefine, Vitasnella or Ser in some countries), Danacol, Gervita and Dany. – Packaged waters: This activity, representing 17 % of the turnover of the Group, recorded an increase of 5,3 % in 2010. Main brands: Evian (world 1st bottled water), Volvic, Aqua, Bonafont and Font Vella Baby food: This activity, representing 20 % of the turnover of the Group, recorded an increase of 8,9 % in 2010. Main brands: Bledina, Gallia, Nutricia, Nutrini, Milupa, Cow&Gate, Bebiko. – Clinical nutrition: this last pole, representing 6% of the turnover, recorded a 9% increase in 2010. Main brands: Nutricia, fortimel, Nutrison http://danone10. danone. com/vignettes/fr/html_danone10/docs/Principaux_indicateurs_2010_FR. pdf 2 – SWOT ANALYSIS * INTERNAL * STRENGTHS Promotion * A brand more than a company Legitimacy to impose its products. * Master in marketing (copied by Unilever and Nestle). Take advantage of a strong image as specialist of food with health connotation. The group strengthen its scientific credibility by clinical studies (DANONE institute). * Derive World fame, thanks to Evian, the world famous brand of water. Price * Capacity to impose its prices thanks to its notoriety and its image. * Possibility of imposing high prices with regard to the market health connotation. Distribution – Notoriety Allows a referencing in all distribution channels. – The standardization / globalization of its products allows to answer at universal needs, optimizing their global distribution. Margin of important negotiation market share and spectacular notoriety. – Model geographically well balanced with half of the turnover in emerging countries, 10% in the USA and the rest in Western Europe. – Possibility of self-financing in the case of new subsidiaries important financial capacities. Product * Strong capacities of innovation all over the world. * Adaptation to foreign consumer habits. * Benefit from an excellent mastering of its businesses specificity – know how to make. * Have at the same time a portfolio of international brands and very robust local positions. Strong trust and loyalty of the consumers to products ( due to the quality control). Organization * Benefit from a healthy financial structure and a good level of internal growth. * Unique flexible decentralised organisation * The most powerful food Group in the sector of the health. * Intensification of the strategy of growth. * Have competitive advantages (brands, distribution network) unique in 2 businesses (Water, Dairy products). * WEAKNESSES Promotion * Sued for misleading advertising. Price * Increase of the level of the prices due to high cost price of raw packaging materials.Place * The policy of standardization of products makes potentially difficult taking into account the sociocultural differences or the taste differences of the various populations. Product * The policy of standardization is a barrier to operate adjustments produced according to the evolutions of markets or the changes of trend. * The globalization is a difficulty to take into account the strategies of differentiations of the competitors, in particular at the level of a specific country. * The brands are the main asset of the company.Organization * DANONE’s model may be difficult to be accepted over corporate culture and differences of management in various countries. * Difficulties to integrate exogenous elements into its culture. * EXTERNAL * OPPORTUNITIES Offer – Opportunities of external growth through Potential foreign partners seduced by: * The respect and the conservation of the partner’s corporate culture * The understanding of his culture before a proposition of common projects * The cultural footbridges in favour of ideas and knowledge sharing. The quality of the industrial and marketing know-how facilitate the co-branding with the other brands on the other markets. Demand – Expanding market (convenience goods). – A large number of countries remain to be converted to fresh dairy products as well as bottled water (developing countries). – Even in times of crisis the most basic needs of consumers is food. Influences * Healthy food became a major subject and is widely followed and supported by the consumers and the legislation (preventive campaigns against the obesity). * THREATS Offer * Strong direct competition by hard discounters and store brands. Strong competition in the field of the water PepsiCo (Aquafina) and Nestle (Perrier). * Inflationary environment of dairy products. * Increasing Costs of the communications often involving to part from certain brands. * Anchored in a very competitive system link to the expansion of its market. Demand * Versatility of the demand linked to the diversity of the offer on the food market. Influences * Governmental campaigns concerning the health potential problem of excessive consumption of fresh dairy product. 3 – EXPLORING NEW OPPORTUNITIES * According to le Figaro website (www. efigaro. fr), since August 2011 DANONE is experimenting its own â€Å"fast food† restaurant and corners in France under the name â⠂¬Å"Danone bar† to sale yogurts. If it works the model could be duplicated first in various cities in France and then major cities in other countries where the dairy product are consumed essentially at home and not outside. (Please, see picture N °2) * Based on web and luxe website (www. webandluxe. com), Evian is also experimenting home delivery in Paris, based on the fact that some customers are reluctant to buy themselves bottle water packs because of their weight.If it works this idea could also be duplicated in major cities. Furthermore Evian claims that it will help with its carbon print as these deliveries are made with electrical cars. * Evian has also opened a new website, (www. myevian. com), were customers can buy customized bottles with their name or a specific date/event engraved with laser on the bottle. (Please, see picture N °3) * Savia, a new range of soy-based milk and yogurts, made its debut in southern Europe in 2009, and in France Taillefine, the brand that invented light dairy products, launched a new line of fruit desserts in partnership with Andros, a leading fruit processor. www. danone. fr) II – ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS 1 – EXTERNAL FACTORS * PESTEL ANALYSIS We redacted this part of the work based on external factors’literrature review. * Political factors. Up to now there are four types of political factors potentially affecting Danone: * The â€Å"Danone† Amendment that the french government passed in 2005 to protect the group and its minority shareholders from a rumoured take over by PepsiCo * The potential threat of an increase in customs taxes between Europe, Asia (most of all china), and NAFTA due to the world economic crisis. Increased Government campaign for public health against obesity will be likely to increase the group sales. * Change in the European Union agricultural subsidies will affect strongly the milk producers thus having a strong impact on the European business of Danone. * Ec onomic factors. * Rate of exchange of Euro versus Yuan and Dollar may play a role in the sales of European made products elsewhere but through joint ventures in a number of countries, this risk/opportunity is downsized for the group. * General slow down of world economy but so far the group has a growth higher than the world average. Increased demand of better food product in Asia, India and Brazil with the average standard of living increasing have a positive impact. * Increase price of raw materials, due to tightening of supply vs. demand, such as plastic, will have a strong impact on packaging cost  which represents a significant part of the product cost in bottled water: the growth of water revenues in 2010 was lower than the growth in quantities because of this factor. * Social factors. * Except for Africa the world population is ageing, this will have a potential positive impact on the demand for healthy food (activia†¦ and in the richest countries for clinical food but it twill impact adversely the infant food segment. * On the long run this may also have an impact on the workforce but for the next decade Danone work force is relatively young. * Increased awareness of the population of all ages to the positive or negative health effect of food. * Increased demand for fair trade may increase the price Danone has to pay to milk producer in non-or poorly regulated areas like Africa. * Technological factors: New biotechnologies, molecules or proteines may increase the credibility and effectiveness of cosmetic and health food thus giving an edge to Danone which has focussed its strategy on these segment since much more time than its main competitors and have the research facilities to do so. * Environmental factors: * The growing scarcity of good drinkable water may increase the sales of the water division, as it has already been the case in some countries like Spain. Greater requirements for recycling of plastic packaging and lowering carbon print ma y lead to the need of a change in Danone’s packaging and distribution.They have already thought about it through home delivery of water and reutilisation of empty bottle as mentioned before. * Legal factors: * The recent case of Danone being sued for misleading advertising on the supposed health benefit of some of its products (Actimel) may have further implications and force it to change substantially its line of communication. 2 – DANONE’S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE † A structure is all the functions and the relations determining formally the missions and the functions which every unit of the organization has to achieve and the modes of collaboration between these units † (STRATEGOR, 1993) HIERARCHY SYSTEM Danone organization is built in a way to increase flexibility and efficiency, optimize integration of employees in the group and facilitate functional, geographical and cultural synergies. It is basically a division type organization. (Please, see picture 4) In the classification of international groups introduced by Howard Perlmutter, Danone is a geocentric firm: An equal sharing of power and responsibility between headquarters and subsidiary; senior management promoted according to ability rather than nationality; subsidiaries that share worldwide objectives with managers focusing beyond national market interests.In Danone the benefits of cultural diversity, such as knowledge of local customers and business practices, are harnessed for the good of the firm as a whole. Local divisions must identify aspects of diversity that are most important to them and their operations and take the lead in expressing and managing these differences. Discussion, interaction, cross-divisional teamwork and job rotation, support, awareness, and understanding go alongside training programs, language courses, and cultural assimilation.It is typically a  «Ã‚  think globally, act locally  Ã‚ » company. * DANONE’S LOCATION IN ACCORDANCE W ITH HOFSTEDE’S THEORY * Individualism: This dimension is certainly medium-low in Danone. People are expected to do cross-divisional teamwork and loyalty to the group rather than individuals is highly valued. In return each division and functions know that they can count on the others when facing a problem. * Masculinity: This is a dimension were the cultural aspect of France and Danone’s CEO personalities have plaid an important part in Danone’s culture.The score of France and in general Latin countries is not very high. Furthermore the fact that an important part of the business is now done in developing countries where this dimension is low have reinforced this aspect. So we would say that Danone is certainly more â€Å"feminine†. This could explain also that so far the US is not one of Danone’s main markets because of its strong masculinity cultural component. * Power distance: Like most international group with a divisional type organization, p ower distance is relatively low to medium.Inequalities among people will tend to be minimised, decentralisation of activities is important, subordinates expect to be consulted by superiors, and privileges and status symbols are less evident. However it is also * Uncertainty avoidance: Being a group dealing with the food market, the standardization of products, brands, common values world wide are a way to avoid as much as possible uncertainty. On the other hand the Group has to adapt permanently to external elements as we will see in the Pestel analysis so from our point of view, uncertainty avoidance dimension is medium to high. Time and Relationship dimensions. According to Frank Riboud and Myriam Cohen-Welgryn (2011), Danone is looking at the long term:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"A company cannot succeed in the long run if it turns its back on the society it is a part of, if it only looks to its short-term economic gain. †. Their strategic move in 2007 when they sold the world N ° 2 bisc uit division in exchange of infant and clinical food brand is certainly a proof of that. On the other hand Danone is a company strongly engaged in the immediate social wellness of its employee and countries where they have factories.All this cultural and strategic aspect of the Group was well summarized by Antoine Riboud in the 90’s: â€Å"The most successful companies are the ones who think simultaneously about the technological change, the contents of the work and the change of the internal social connections in the company. † 3 – HOME COUNTRY’S CULTURE IMPACT * DETERMINING ELEMENTS OF DANONE’S CULTURE First of all DANONE is a multinational group which wants to share and transmit it own values in all countries where it’s implanted. Based on DANONE official website (www. danone. om), DANONE has four important values that have to be passed on through their products and their commitments all over the world: * The openness: this value includes various notions such as the open-mindedness, the curiosity and valuing diversity. * The enthusiasm: It symbolizes the desire and capacity to take risks and explore new, not to mention the conviction to surpass oneself and to take some pleasure by working. * The humanism: DANONE wants to accentuate the fact that the group pays attention to the safety of people and products. Likewise it is environmentally friendly. * The proximity: The group pay attention to their customers.Indeed it’s essential for DANONE to be tuned into the expectations but also the complaints of these customers. In addition as DANONE is a French company there are other values, which come from its home country’s culture: First the idea to have a well-balanced diet by eating products of good qualities and with good taste is an important cultural subject for a large number of Frenchs. There is a growing awareness that a bad diet has direct consequences on people’s health, but also major economic consequences in terms of public health costs. Second French have a big craze for the environmentally policy.Indeed since a few years the sustainable development and the ecology are very present notions in the life of everyone. So DANONE tries to convey these same notions through their products as well as within their advertisements all over the world. All these notions are at the core of DANONE’s mission. * CULTURE IMPACT ON EACH OTHER The four core values and the French influence described here above are a frame in which the team of each division and each country where DANONE is present, have to adapt taking into consideration to their own cultural specificity as mentioned before.In fact it is perfectly in line with the openness value so the model is not rigid. When DANONE wants to open a new market in a country which culture is quite different from its own, they usually do so by incorporating joint venture with strong national partners like they did in Russia (10% of their sales in 2010) or China. The only core value, which they consider as non-negotiable, is humanism. So DANONE is typically a  «Ã‚  think globally, act locally  Ã‚ » company. 4 – DANONE’S MOTIVATIONAL SYSTEM * COMPANY’S MOTIVATIONAL ELEMENTSWe know that a growing gap between the aspiration of the employees and the practices of companies is source of additional costs and loss of performance. That is why, to DANONE, the motivation of the employees is an imperative condition of the company’s growth. The group DANONE often insists on the need of permanent growth to preserve its leader's place on the market. This growth requires consistently an outstanding performance, which supposes that the company can lean on committed employees. Consequently, DANONE insure on a regular basis that the 3 main conditions for optimum employee’s commitment are fulfilled: The company is in sync with its culture and its values – He is proud to belong to a leading group; – He is certain that his employer assumes the development of his skills. To strengthen the motivation of the employees and their commitment, the group DANONE tries to establish, on a regular basis, a correlation between the practices of management and the growth of the units. To do it, regular questionnaires are submitted to the managers and DANONE, from time to time, widen these survey to its thousands employees. More concretely the group DANONE insists more particularly on the autonomy and the sharing between employees: We rely on the autonomy of management of our subsidiaries and what we call the networking attitude. It means that, when an employee meets a problem, he has to have the reflex not to turn around towards his boss, but rather to exchange with his counterpart, wherever he turns out to be in the world, to find the solution. We forged a series of tools to share the knowledge and exchange good practises for the specialists of every domain (finances, human re sources, industry, marketers). † (Franck Mougin’s interview, 2006, available at www. lexpress. fr) ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE’S EFFICIENCY Since 2002 DANONE’s HR, supported by Frank Riboud, has developed several tools to increase efficiency of the organization, based on the fact that they are too  «Ã‚  small  Ã‚ » compared with their competitors Nestle or PepsiCo to  «Ã‚  reinvent the wheel  Ã‚ ». So they have started knowledge â€Å"marketplaces† and â€Å"sharing networks†Ã¢â‚¬â€to help employees connect with each other and share good practices horizontally rather than relying on hierarchical lines of communication. In 10 years DANONE employees shared almost 1000 good practices with colleagues.The Networking Attitude had made practical information accessible to about 70% of the more than 9,000 DANONE managers around the world. Best of all these programs, which are conducted within the timeframe of more formal meetings, incurred very little cost and were considered highly successful by 90 % of general managers, according to an internal survey. The HR top management worked also on â€Å"co-building events† where employees from different units within DANONE networked with the goal of creating new practices or products rather than sharing existing ones. http://www. duperrin. com/2008/04/21/comment-danone-fait-de-sa-culture-un-levier-de-performance/) These programs didn’t fit in so easily. They required lots of energy and preparation from HR and took time to be accepted in some part of the world where discussing serious business issue with lower rank colleagues or wearing costumes- as it was recommended during marketplace events- was contrary to local culture. Despite these first reluctances it does work and the most obvious result is that DANONE start launching new products 3 times faster than its competitors. Franck MOUGIN ; Benedikt BENENAT/avril 2005/ Danone se raconte des histoires, une version la tine du knowledge management/http://www. ecole. org) ————————————————- CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Frank Riboud, CEO Danone said: â€Å"At Danone we don’t talk about strategy, we react to the context around us. For me, it’s like a Lego box that you buy for your children. They start to play, trying to find a way to build the image on the Lego box. At the end of the day, they give up, throw out the box, and put the pieces away. The next weekend you put all the Lego pieces on the floor and then the strategy starts.They try to imagine something. Not what was on the box, but what they have in their heads. That is strategy at Danone for me: It’s Lego. † (Harvard business school, 2008) Since he took over in 1996, he did three very smart things. First, he directed to company’s focus towards health and nutrition. Second, he turned a Western Eur opean company into an international organization with operations worldwide. And third, he changed how the organization was managed. He created the expression â€Å"jeu de jambe†, or footwork, which perfectly describes Danone’s approach to dealing with many issues in a flexible way.With its focus on nutrition and promoting health through four product divisions, Danone appeared to have a clear strategy for the new century. As CEO, Riboud’s larger vision extended beyond ordinary customer segments to include promoting health to people throughout the world. In 2011 he acknowledges his father’s, Antoine, vision when he said in 1972 in front of a number of CEO of the biggest French companies: â€Å"Conduisons nos entreprises autant avec le coeur qu’avec la tete et n’oublions pas que si les ressources d’energie de la Terre ont des limites, celles de l’homme sont infinies s’il se sent motive. Let’s manage our companies as much with our heart as with our brain and let’s not forget that if earth resources are limited, the man’s one are infinite if he feels motivated. We believe that Antoine and Frank Riboud leadership and vision and their unique management way have leaded the Group to its success. ————————————————- BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: – David Buchanan and Andrzej Huczynski (2004) Organizational Behaviour. (5th Ed. ) FT Prentice Hall. – D. Buchanan – A. Huczynski (2010) Organizational Behaviour. 7th Ed. ) FT Prentice Hall. – Bauer and Erdogan (2009) Organizational Behaviour. FT Paperback. | Internet sources (International and French sources): – Tatum, M. (2010). What is SWOT Analysis? Available at: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-swot-analysis. htm (Accessed: 10 November 2011) – DANONE (2011). Our company. Available at: http://www. dan one. com/en/company/introduction. html (Accessed: 10 November 2011) – Groupe DANONE (2011). Historical background. Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Groupe_Danone (Accessed: 10 November 2011) L’Ecole de Paris du management (2005) – Danone se raconte des histoires, une version latine du Knowledge management Franck Mougin interview. Available at: http://ecole. org/seminaires/FS1/SEM190/VA010405. pdf/view (Accessed: 12 November 2011) – LEXPRESS. fr (2006). Donner du sens au travail. Available at: http://www. lexpress. fr/emploi-carriere/laquo-donner-du-sens-au-travail-raquo_479442. html (Accessed: 15 November 2011) – LEFIGARO. fr – Economie (2011). Danone s’essaie au bar a yaourt. Available at: http://www. lefigaro. r/societes/2011/07/14/04015-20110714ARTFIG00454-danone-s-essaie-a-la-restauration-rapide. php (Accessed: 13 November 2011) – Le Journal du Net (2010). DANONE. Available at: http://www. journaldunet. com/dano ne/ (Accessed: 13 November 2011) – Web & Luxe – digital luxury magazine (2010). Myevian. com: la personalisation est aussi chez Evian. Available at: http://www. webandluxe. com/08/2010/myevian-com-la-personnalisation-est-aussi-chez-evian/ (Accessed: 13 November 2011) – Bloc-Notes de Bertrand Duperrin (2008). Comment DANONE fait de sa culture un levier de performance.Available at: http://www. duperrin. com/2008/04/21/comment-danone-fait-de-sa-culture-un-levier-de-performance/ (Accessed: 14 November 2011) ————————————————- APPENDICES Picture 1: The first yogurt Danone with a porcelain package sold in chemists in 1928 (Available at: http://tourisme. bienpublic. com/90-ans-de-Danone-les-8-yaourts-qui. html) Picture 2: The first Danone bar opened in august 2011 in a shopping mall near Paris. (Available at: http://www. lefigaro. fr/societes/2011/07/14/04015- 20110714ARTFIG00454-danone-s

Effective Advertising Essay

Advertising is considerably one of the vital strategies needed for a product or service to be known within a certain community. The scope of advertising has been highly controversial in the aspect of marketing nevertheless a towering issue in the political aspect as sought in elections and other forms of the like. Synthesis on effective advertising has been defined in accordance to the different models and theories presented in the literary aspect, which, of course has been collaborated with the context of practice. In the field of economics, it has been stressed that advertising consistently plays a vital role in shaping a proficient and efficient society beneficial on the glory it serves. As soon as printed symbols were invented the advertising man made use of them to give publicity to his merchandise (Sokotch, 2006). In recent times, advertisements are embossed on walls and tombs, in black and white on parchment and other paper entities, and are produced in publishing houses. Though these diverse forms of advertising were engaged, diminutive are considered and regard are not as effective as expected. Posters, painted signs, street-car placards, booklets, calendars, almanacs, handbills, magazine and newspaper advertising have now become forms of advertising so well established that we look upon them as a necessity, and are overwhelmed to find out that majority are up to date novelty (Tellis, 2003). However, it runs in the stream of cognitive, affective and behavioral pitches before one may thoroughly state that one’s mean of advertising is effective. Critical analysis on advertising in the contemporary society The verity of advertising in point of fact is focused in one set of audience alone. Take for example, for advertising in the market arena, the audience are the consumers; in the political arena, politicians advertise their platforms and propagandas in the light of the voters; while for research and other educational gains, it is in the hands of their respondents that they are able to complete their study—without these ‘audience’ it would be hard to comprehend why â€Å"advertisers† are so eager to let their â€Å"advertisement† out in the open with the milieu of persuasion and of encouragement over what they wish to imply (Michelet, 2006). Textbooks and other published materials would often lead to the fundamental concept of â€Å"Ivan Pavlov’s conditioning experiment† or that which has been used by Anne Sullivan, remarkably, the notion is coherent with the idea on advertising. The consumers represent Helen Keller and the advertiser is the teacher in the person of Anne Sullivan—motivation and persuasion, per se. Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism  There have been several deliberations on how advertising shall be crucially taken into basis of analysis. Apparently, critics has often addressed that media analysis collaborated with the arena of political, economical and socio-cultural context must not serve as grounds in identifying the ability of advertising and mass communications in empowering a contemporary capitalist society. Further, Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism connotes the perception—which by hand is used by fashion advertisers—that assessment of an effective advertisement falls on the utilization of a â€Å"model or person,† a product, a setting and text; hence it has also been cited that these forms of â€Å"advertising† is magnificently effective and never fails to capture the consumer-public (Karlsson, 2007). Conceivably, the Marxian theory all boils down to the fact that capitalism is legitimate since that it endows with the public with what they â€Å"want† and gradually fulfills their present needs, use, values and other sort of the like—corresponding to the ethics on exchange value, use value, surplus value, commodity fetishism and fickle-feeding. Strong’s AIDA Model The AIDA model is a behavioral approach which contains a purpose to uplift the verity of making an advertisement awareness-able, interest stimulating, and desire action-triggering dynamic in consumers. It is also considered as one of the most persuasive and highly efficient methods in advertising hence suggesting that for a certain advertisement to be effective, it has to be something that captivates attention leading to convincing the consumers that the product or service or whatever is advertised as interesting. Further, it must also have the ability to make the consumers crave for the product in the sense that they shall â€Å"desire† on it and finally for them to get attached with it and hopefully get a feedback that the advertising is effective. In a larger view with this model, it is important that the information being sent to the consumers is believable and memorable that even in the busy schedule of the consumers, or in the million of ideas processed by the mind each day, one’s advertisement is sought (Karlsson, 2007). Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results Theory This model presented by Russell Colley is popularly known as DAGMAR, of course, for the benefit of the masses, and a technique in memory building as well. Consequently, this communication strategy is known for its ability to send information without the utilization of excessive text or message. Its focal point falls on the level of understanding stating what the consumer must believe on an organization and at the same time to measure the efficiency of an advertising campaign (Bok, 2002). Further, it expresses the fact that there are four levels of understanding in advertisement and that the methods used in all commercial communications must come across that very objective. Hunching the four levels of understanding advertising the following are presented by the proponent: awareness of the existence of the organization advertising the brand, grasp on what the product is or is capable of, a rational suspicion or sagacity of conviction in buying the product and like the aforementioned methods, persuasion to act in availing the product advertised and have it stuck on their list (Karlsson, 2007). Lavidge and Steiner’s Heirarchy–of-effects model Published in the same time-frame as that of DAGMAR, this model raises the connotation that consumers possess a non-fickle personality hence consumers are skeptical in being convinced—not interested at all stake would be the fitting definition. Unlike the other theories, which stresses that all factors be cited in equal proportion, this model follows a liner path and insists that these factors are to be taken in a step-by-step basis (Karlsson, 2007). Awareness, knowledge, fondness, preference, conviction and purchase—the mentioned steps shape up this models apprehension. Moreover, the insistent point of this model expresses that consumers are wise enough not to be easily convinced, not unless they are holistically provided with the necessary details that they need inline with the kind of social standing that they have. French postmodernist theory of Jean Baudrillard: Theory of sign value Jean Baudrillard on the other hand, believed on the prowess of signs and symbols constituted by objects for that matter. Having a consumer society, the proponent’s theory dwells on the idea of implosion of aesthetics manifesting that advertising lies on aesthetic techniques and the promotion of consumption as a way of life. Baudrillard’s â€Å"sign value† analysis assess the consumer’s grave need for seeking various products and the actual gratifications that these products derive onto as well as with the social function that it offers. Lurking deep on the â€Å"social perspective† the proponent stresses that signs of sociality are great basis in building up the right method to advertise and capture their pockets to hail such (Harms and Kellner, 1990). Commentary Critical analysis on the models presented would wrap up the idea that advertising is a broad state of field. Perceivably, there are models which are similar in concept—consumers are after products, only that they seek for the best—however, there also appears the skeptical viewpoints that insists the un-fickleness of consumers and there is nothing advertisers can do but to wait for them to visit one’s shop dependent on their innate characteristic. In the light, due to the complexity of the marketing landscape and the advent of globalization, these theories may be evaluated as up-to-date or no longer effective a way or another. But then the perception on â€Å"basics† and fundamental perspectives will always contradict with that nuance. The behavior of the consumers has already transformed through time, with this, it may be taken to assumption that the â€Å"pessimistic† side of the story may be eradicated in pleas. The more â€Å"open† the society, the easier advertising influences them—the higher the chance to be marked as â€Å"effective. † Consumer vs. business in effective advertising In relation to business and consumers as two major factors in marketing, the predicament of the matter is clearly seen in the areas of communication efficiency, product quality and audience analysis. Take for example, the target groups must be taken consideration—kids, teens, adults, couples—all these must be known before a product shall be advertised. Aside from that, culture is also a factor, what to be advertised must be taken into deliberation first considering the fact that the context of the advertisement may not be acceptable in the kind of culture where the product is introduced. In the case of technological product advertising, the following threats may be assessed: as categorized, opportunities and threats, which is basically a portrayal of external change is the scale fall on the line of â€Å"five forces of threat,† namely, (1) threat of new entrants (rising companies of the same service rendered as well as with other rising broadcasting companies which will offer ‘greater’ service than theirs), (2) competitive rivalry (competition in sales, in fame and in the service satisfaction), (3) threat of substitution (other broadcasting/media corporations such as films, 3D theater, home-video conferencing, piracy and other sorts of the like), (4) power of buyers (upon knowing the fact that the society always change their â€Å"taste† primarily in the streamline of the kinds of shows which is â€Å"famous† in the immediate time and the advent of technological advancements such as 3D and other competition in broadcasting) and (5) p ower of suppliers (the fact that such is competition, resources is most likely to halt leading to scarcity from manufacturers of entities and commodities needed for broadcasting). All which serve as the grounds for the success or the failure of the company or the industry and if fortunate, then it will be easier to get the general objective (Mooij, 2005). Advertising in the commerce landscape  Progress in the subject matter is made in the abstract; one scholar shows a compelling talent for innovation, and others amend and improve on his work, all without close reference to the economic context. In the last one hundred years the great corporate enterprise, the trade union, depression and war, increasing and increasingly dispersed affluence, the changing nature of money and the new and enhanced role of the central bank, the declining role of agriculture with the counterpart urbanization and growth of urban poverty, the rise of the welfare state, the newly assumed responsibility of the government for overall economic performance, the emergence of socialist states, have all dramatically altered, even revolutionized, economic life. As the subject matter of economics has changed, so necessarily has the subject. Advertising comes in a handy realization that the more complex the economy gets, the larger the need for business tycoons to broaden their understanding with the flow of the society in patronizing their basic needs. The competition floating in the commercial room also serves as a challenge that each advertisement of their product must be sent with critical analysis and with a pinch of â€Å"freshness† capable enough to outstand the other entities which steams up the battle. The scope of marketing must not only fall under the circumstance of financial basis itself, but rather on the deeper application premises of the activity. An illustration of such would surface in a company’s ability to perform social responsibilities and being able to consistently adjust on the intrinsic and extrinsic demands of the society, as well as with keeping track on the challenges laid on the inevitable table of change (Michelet, 2006). It must be kept in mind that advertising is the only gateway to get their products’ path to the consumers. With the competition rising, consumers are wise enough to know what they want and which is best. Assessment on the components of effective advertising in McDonalds An example of effective advertising is practiced by McDonalds; the power of commercial speech is exercised. Even when backed by the resources and visibility of a McDonalds Corporation, the power of commercial speech campaigns is limited. Neither particular advertisements nor broader advertising campaigns are always effective, even when they have been well researched and well financed: the majority of prospective new brands that are test marketed are not marketed nationally. The battle of the marketplace has many casualties. Even when advertising affects behavior, the effect may be temporary (Michelet, 2006). And when the effects are more enduring, they may amount only to switches among rival brands by established users, rather than new consumers for any of the rival brands. Some advertising—consider the various recent plans and pricing claims of the leading long distance telephone carriers—is widely disliked. As a result, many ads are simply drowned out, unnoticed or unremembered in the ongoing daily proliferation of commercial speech. This does not mean, however, that commercial speech, or commercial advertising more narrowly, does not have important long-term effects, intended or unintended, on American culture and decision making. Commercial advertising is in some sense a ‘zero sum’ game, with one product’s gain being another’s loss. The proliferation of ads, however, does not lead simply to a process of mutual conflict, let alone mutual annihilation (Harms and Kellner, 1990). Conclusions and further remarks Moreover, given the fact that the main subject and prospects for the purpose of venturing into business are the masses, it most likely true that customer satisfaction is a pious must. In simple logic, selling does not only denote giving consumers the idea that a product/service offered on the market/industry, but rather dwelling on the array of perception that consumers are after ‘fame’ of the company as well as the ‘trend’ which is seemingly floating up in the limelight and the ‘generation status’ per se’ – more like, â€Å"in-line-with-amazing-quality† (Easey, 2001). The above mentioned threats then takes place, the world of business is a vortex of intrinsic and extrinsic challenges which requires critical analysis on what consumers need and logical wit to determine the flexibility of the product and service. That is the main purpose of the survey and other forms of observation in the society are needed to achieve managerial goals and jive along with the â€Å"change of taste† and speculations of the masses (Mooij, 2005). What utterly demoralizes business tycoons and practitioners hangs back on the exactness of the cost and the revenue generated by investments which are indefinite to be defined, for the reason that the scheme and the flow of the advertising differ dependently upon the ‘season’ or under the discretion of the contemporary society. It would seem quite hard to distinguish which of the sites are assumed to be the most significant or rather the one which is offering the best service for the majority (Beckwith, 2003). Since that, those who are apt to surf actually depend on what they wish to find. In addition to that, each layer of the society hold different jobs or activity with diverse enthusiasm, it is evident that it is possible to shift sites which then give the argument abstain on conviction with regard to the matter (Seelye, 2005). The aforementioned threats must not serve as intimidating factors in the world of business, hence a challenge towards the attainment of organizational goals through the use of effective advertising. In conclusion, effective advertising depends on for demonstration of the method, traditional or modern as long as the advertiser knows the perfect mixture of the factors needed in advertising, what is sold on the market will be a sure hit. In collaboration with the political or academic concept, a politician does not get votes not unless he or she knows what words are to be uttered in specific groups and what technique of persuasion is to be utilized in that certain point of time. Effective advertising does not only require skill, timing is a vital one.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The literary piece â€Å"The Bluest Eye,† written by Toni Morrison and published in circa 1970, has centered on the story of an eleven-year-old female character, Pecola Breedlove (Foerstel, 2002). The central theme that has been apparent in the story is the desire of Pecola to have white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Not only does she want a set of blue eyes but she actually wants the bluest shade of blue that there is.Her desires for this kind of physical appearance stems from her idea that those who are given these physical features are given or are receiving a certain kind of privilege from the society because of the stigma associated with it. Chloe Anthony Wofford, more popularly known as Toni Morrison, is the second of four Black children who belonged to a family who worked their way to living (â€Å"Toni Morrison: Biography,† 1993). She was born in 1931 in Ohio and proceeded to earn her degree in prestigious universities, more specifically Howard and Cornell U niversity (â€Å"Toni Morrison: Biography,† 1993).She has earned her positions in credible institution both in the academic ladder and in writing (â€Å"Toni Morrison: Biography,† 1993). Later on, she made an impact through the novels she made that showed the plight of the Black Americans that contained narratives of different characters’ lives (â€Å"Toni Morrison: Biography,† 1993). With the novels she made, she has earned several awards and recognition from different award-giving bodies in the field of literature that even included the Pulitzer Prize for the year 1988 (â€Å"Toni Morrison: Biography,† 1993).Summary of the Novel In Morrison’s novel, â€Å"The Bluest Eye,† Pecola has shown to be a girl who is born to parents who lived difficult lives in their past. Pecola’s mother, Pauline, has lived in isolation, often beaten up by his husband who she often provokes to do such, and only feels worth at work where she is made t o clean the house of a White woman. On the other hand, Pecola’s father, Cholly, is a drunkard whose current state of misery is blamed to his parents abandoning him when he was still a child.He is made to live with his great aunt and an experience he could not forget is the incident where he felt humiliated when to White men caught him cohabiting and sexually exploited him. Soon, he found where his father is but the latter refused to take him in his life and later on met Pauline. They built a life together but soon, love is lost between them and they have both lost everything they had. Pecola came to their lives but she has also received failures from the personal angst of her parents.She has adopted the desires of being White from her mother as they both think that it is their only way to draw acceptance from the society they live in. It has served as an important part of their lives to desire for the physical features of a White individual because it somehow gives them hopes of being in a better condition than what they have now. However, it gives them frustrations, too, as society continuously rejects them and presses on their being Black as the very reason why they are treated badly. As for the miseries of Cholly, he ends up raping Pecola out of both guilt and emotional feelings for his child.Pecola becomes pregnant but the baby dies and her father decides to rape her for the second time. After this, she becomes lunatic which is the time when she thought that she had the bluest eye there is. Approach to the Novel The novel, during the time of its publication, has taken a different course from the usual ones taken by the Black women writers, who, in their literary works, meant to â€Å"destroy negative stereotypes of Black women, to present the relationship between Black men and women as ‘complimentary,’ and to affirm the Black family and community† (Dubey, 1994, p.33). It has been exceptionally regarded as a literary piece that ha s laid before its audience the problems within the selves of the Black community that requires attention in order for them to proceed into accepting that they are a race equally superior and equally beautiful as the White (Dubey, 1994). While they condemn the disparities between the White and the Blacks, within them are the desires to be among the White people.Their condemnations arise from the issues they have with regard to their acceptance in a society dominated by the White people and they see that assimilation to this particular culture is the means through which they could fight it but is actually not. As shown in the novel of Morrison, it is best to realize the psychological and social impacts of the desires to be White in order to fully acquire an identity for the Black community (Dubey, 1994).Moreover, it should be understood that the work of Morrison requires an understanding of the history of the Black community as they tried to establish a place for their selves in the s ociety where they live in. There is a common factor which should be targeted, which is the presence of direct and indirect discrimination against the Black community. Through time, it has become apparent that there is really a big difference with how White and Black individuals are treated. Moreover, the source for the discrimination felt by the Blacks should be understood in order to understand the novel.This is because the source of the Black characters in the story stems from a real-life dilemma that is not explicitly stated in the text. There is a need to unravel the true cause for the behavior of the characters in order to understand the way they feel and the way they are in terms of their relationship with society. Traditional beliefs, Practices, and Artistic Forms â€Å"The Bluest Eye† also contains elements of traditional beliefs, practices, and artistic forms in the later life of Pecola.When she became pregnant, Claudia and Frieda McTeer, children of the couples whom Pecola lived with, used their money in order to buy marigold seeds. They believed that if this would bear flowers, then the baby of Pecola would live, which is what they wanted despite the opposite stance of the people in their community. The money they used in order to buy the seeds is originally meant for the bicycle they wanted to buy for themselves but because of the importance and great belief they put on this practice, they prioritized the seeds instead of the bike.Their belief on this particular practice is further reinforced as the plant does not bloom and the baby of Pecola dies, which they could correlate because of the incident. Moreover, it has shown that the artistic manner of communication by the Blacks has been adopted by Morrison. The author wants to present the â€Å"aural literature† as she deliberately formed the sentences in such a way that a Black individual will be heard conversing to the audience and to other characters.To a certain extent, it pushes t he approach away from the typical written language but delves more into the spoken language (â€Å"Toni Morrison,† 2009). While there are critics who mentioned that â€Å"her prose is rich,† she claims that it is an inherent quality of the Black language (â€Å"Toni Morrison,† 2009). She treats the manner of speaking observed from the Black people to be a distinct and different set of language that forms a body of its own as modifications and creations have evolved to how they use this language now.Moreover, it is said that the novel and other literary pieces written in the same manner has replaced the role of music played by the Blacks before (â€Å"Toni Morrison,† 2009). However, replacement may not be the term intended for this but rather, they simply shared the same portion and works towards the same goals, because of the same purpose, but uses different means. Preserving the Black Language With the manner by which the author structured the words and the sentences, the Black language has become apparent throughout the text.The rich and poetic form that is embodied in the language of the Blacks is an element that the author wants to retain. This lies beneath the psychological and social themes of incest, racial discrimination, and desires to be White. It tries to preserve the approach of this language developed within this race through the experiences of the characters and the conversations included in the story. It has been mentioned earlier that the different forms of Black music has shared a role with the literary pieces in keeping the culture alive for the Black community.With the onset of popular culture and the desires for assimilation, it is important that the unique characteristics and the distinct nature of the Black culture be preserved together with their history and unique experiences. Adopting other Cultures and Traditions As the author means to direct the entire story towards the Black community, most of the culture s and traditions that have been presented come from that of the Blacks. However, it still relates the Black culture into the White because of the interaction between the two that served as the important aspect of the paper.The only element that is taken from the White culture is the seemingly distorted and limited view of beauty, which requires them to see it within a white-skinned, blonde, and blue-eyed individual. Better treatment and the regard for superiority of people fitting this description has been ingrained into the lives of the Black characters as it is adopted from the White culture. This is seen to be the condition of the people during the time of the narrator’s existence but is constantly changing as we now see it. References Dubey, M. (1994).Black women novelists and the nationalist aesthetic. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Press. Foerstel, H. (2002). Banned in the USA: A reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries. (2nd Ed. ). Westp ort, CT: Greenwood Publishing. Toni Morrison: Biography. (1993). Retrieved April 1, 2009, from http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1993/morrison-bio. html. Toni Morrison â€Å"The Bluest Eye. † Retrieved April 1, 2009, from http://academic. brooklyn. cuny. edu/english/melani/cs6/morrison. html#black.

Consumer Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Consumer Protection - Essay Example This Project Plan suggests that it becomes necessary to consider pragmatic and appropriate research question and during the course of deliberations this needs to be translated into achievable ends. Also, the enlightenment gained from appropriately decided case laws also needs to be included to substantiate arguments and underline facts. Besides, various sections in which this subject is dealt with also need to form a part of this paper. (Press summary, 2009). â€Å"The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (UTCCRs) protect consumers against unfair standard terms in contracts they make with traders. The Office of Fair Trading, together with certain other bodies, can take legal action to prevent the use of such terms.† (Unfair terms in consumer contracts, n.d.). It is necessary to conduct a study of this kind in order to assess the unfair terms that are often being enforced as pre-determined statements without being deliberated with the concerned consumers, who are thus placed at a detriment, due to the arbitrary and high handed dealings of producers of goods and services. Besides, it is also necessary to consider and apply necessary legal remedies if and when unfair terms are forced upon unwitting consumers. In order to understand these aspects in their proper perspectives, it is necessary to under the basics of these terms. According to the Unfair Terms in the CCR 99, if terms and conditions of business have not been individually dealt with and discussed and any decision has been reached without due negotiations with affected consumers; it could be said to be coming within the realms of being â€Å"unfair terms.† (Statutory instrument 1999 No. 2083. 1999). Besides this, the terms have been pre-determined without taking the concerned consumers into confidence. As a result of which the consumer may have to suffer detriment. It could correctly be said that unfair terms have been incorporated in the agreement which creates disadvantages for the consumers.

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Mergers - Essay Example rgers are part of reforming a business which involve two companies coming together to create a big organization that pleases shareholders (Albizzatti and Sias 35-28). One factor that may make two companies succeed in merging is by integrating their data thus it will be easier to achieve the shareholders value. According to Gaughan (2009), this strategy is mostly used in tough economic times where those companies which cannot survive the competition in the market are bought-off by the strong companies in the market. Stanwick (16-11) descries that this enables the companies to improve their competitive nature as other companies merge hoping to increase their share in the market and thus will produce more than they would have if they were to operate by themselves. This study shows the possibilities that would make a company such as SLP want to merge with another one. It will also show how the mergers are financed and finally it shows the second and the third company to be chosen as a merger giving reasons for each. In my opinion if I was to pick a company to merge with between Dell and Intel it would be Dell. This is because it has more benefits to the company than Intel. Perry and Herd (19-12) shows that Dell is a multinational company and it already has a big market share all over the world which has been estimated to be 20 percent. This advantage would make SLP Company be in a position of venturing the global market as Dell would increase its industrial visibility. Dell is a company that deals with computers and SLP Company is involved in vehicles. Their merging type would be in the form of extending their product as the businesses are different but the products are somehow related. If Dell was to takeover SLP it would achieve more benefits of economies of scale as the size would increase as well as its product line. To pay for the deal the best way would be through fixed value stock. This is where the shares are fixed in that the buyer’s shareholders may run

Advance cost accounting Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advance cost accounting - Article Example Hongren, Datar and Foster explain capital budgeting as having six stages that are, in that order, identification, search, information acquisition, selection, financing and implementation and control stages (7). Formal methods employed in capital budgeting that use incremental cash flows of potential projects include techniques such as discounted cash flow, internal rate of return, equivalent annuity, net present value, payback period and profitability index. Essentially, through the discounted cashflow method, the expected outward and inward flow of cash in a project are calculated as if they took place together at one time so they can be averaged appropriately. The net present value and internal rate of return are methods of discounted cash flow, and the internal rate of return is a function of the expected net annual cash flow and present value annuity factor (Hongren, Datar & Foster 19). Compared to internal rate of return, net present value is more advantageous because its end re sult is not expressed as a percentage but, rather, in dollars, and it provides the opportunity to add individual projects. Further, it is applicable in situations in which the required rate of return of a project varies throughout its life. On the other hand, it is not possible to add or average a project’s individual rate of return to derive internal rate of return of several combined projects (Hongren, Datar & Foster 22). Through the identification stage, the need to consider venturing into a new project is identified by the management, and several alternatives will be yielded in the search stage, although the focus will remain on a particular project (Hongren, Datar & Foster 8). Decisions deemed to be of a strategic nature call for the management to consider a wide scope of factors that cannot be easily estimated. While information will be acquired by the administration in

IP 5 - Macro Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IP 5 - Macro - Term Paper Example The feasibility of any policy is essential, as it will determine the number of adjustments to be put in place to ensure maximum benefit. The World Bank applies policies based on sustainability. The advice given to new industrialized countries are based on economic growth and utilizing on the local potential. In Singapore, the balance is found between the social and economic spaces. The government polices are aimed at maintaining the balance between growth and social priorities. The steady economic growth measured based on GDP indicate the positive local models and the World Bank aims at ensuring financial and consultative aid is provided the country boast of economic stability (Page, 1994). However the local population required a sustainable model that balance between economic growth and social require are met. Social demands in this case imply the educational system and the healthcare provision. The country has been advised to focus on the educational system. The current curriculum should focus on productivity and evaluated based on quality rather than accessibility. In this case investment opportunities are introduced in the learning institution. The model is aimed at securing the future of investments and ensures continuous growth across the nation. Through education the country is a ble to plan for the future having secured the employment demand. The current educational system focuses on innovation and independent investments (Page, 1994). The educational system ensures continuous supply of labor while at the same time creating room for entrepreneurs. In Hong Kong, the focus is on the social policy is utilized to create a balance between the market demand and supply of labor. The aim is to empower local population hence reducing the rate of employment. High wages are to be triggered by the supply of skilled labor to the market. This implies increasing the local population purchasing

Approach to Care of Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Approach to Care of Cancer - Essay Example Many cancers are initially recognized and diagnosed through screening or because of the appearance of certain signs and symptoms. The common cancer diagnostic procedures include imaging through X-rays, CT scans, endoscopy, genetic testing, tumor biopsy, surgery and various laboratory tests like blood tests, urinalysis and tests for tumors makers. Tumor makers are either substances that the body makes in response to cancer cells or are released into the urine or bloodstream by cancer cells (Moscow and Cowan, 2007). Biopsy involves a histological examination of abnormal body cells by a pathologist. The tissue diagnosis done by the pathologist reveals the type of cell proliferating, genetic abnormalities, the histological grade of the cell and other features of the tumors. Blood tests are used to confirm the substances levels in the blood. They show how healthy a person is and whether an infection is present. It reveals the status of the kidney and levels of waste products like blood ur ea nitrogen/creatinine. Urinalysis reveals the components of urine and checks the presence of blood, drugs, proteins and other substances in urine. Genetic testing is important in identifying mutations, chromosomal changes and fusion genes, and possible genetic predisposition. Cancer staging involves finding out how much cancer is in the body and its location. It describes how far it has spread anatomically and groups patients with the same prognosis and treatment in one staging. Stage I cancers are small, localized and curable, stage II and II cancers are locally advanced and/or with local lymph node involvement while stage IV cancers are metastatic o inoperable cancers. Doctors should first establish the cancer stage for each particular patient because to some extent, treatment and prognosis depend on the cancer stage. They should highly utilize information on cancer staging to plan for the treatment and help to individual patients. Patients falling to the same staging could be of fered group support where possible to encourage compliance with treatment and alleviate psychological effects of diagnosis and treatments. Individual situations within a group should also be considered. Complications of cancer The first complication presented by cancer is that it might spread. The cancerous cells could invade and destroy other body organs rendering them dysfunctional. This requires the use of treatments that will destroy cancer cells and also prevent their spread. Other complications may be evident depending on the stage and type of the cancer. Systemic cancer is associated with neurologic complications which occur after routine chemotherapy. Brain metastases are the most prevalent of these and they manifest as altered mental status, headache, sensory loss, hemiparesis, impaired cognition and sensory, speech, visual, and gait disturbance. Lung cancer can result in heart diseases and breathing difficulties due to the presence of lumps or destruction of the air passag e and heart tissues. Pancreatic cancer is associated with complications like jaundice due to blocked bile duct, severe abdominal pain due pressed nerves and bowel obstruction due to pressed or blocked intestine. Blood loss and/or anemia as a result of damaged hemorrhaging tissues and weight loss resulting from frequent nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are

Today Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Today Media - Research Paper Example Advertisements can distort reality. It is a one-sided stand in order to obtain corporate goals. Lastly, some audience does not have enough ability to understand advertisement’s purpose. Based on these reasons, the proponent was able to use important journal articles, and books in line with understanding the very nature of advertising and its impact on the society. Furthermore, other important related concepts in other fields such as psychology, and social science are integrated within the concept of mass communication and the social media. In doing this, further justification of the use of advertising as effective approach in conveying information is justified. The important implications of advertising in the society are also discussed based on other relevant and practical examples commonly observed in common and various ads. Introduction Certain ads are effective in conveying information to the extent that consumer persuasion is at a higher level. This persuasion at a higher level is very influential in trying to convince people of certain ideas. For example, tobacco marketing is associated with youth smoking, their behaviors towards it and their intention to smoke (Hanewinkel, Isensee, Sargent, & Morgenstern, 2010). However, anti-tobacco media campaigns are found helpful in smoking cessation (Biener, Reimer, Wakefield, Szczypka, Rigotti, & Connolly, 2006). Furthermore, anti-tobacco television ads using fear and disgust contents have been found significant on resources intended for message encoding, recognition memory and emotional responses (Leshner, Bolls & Wise, 2011, p. 77). These only show that advertising is effective way of communicating ideas, information and other relevant social concerns. In particular, advertising activities are integral parts of marketing and other related social interactions that aim to promote certain ideas, opinions or products and services. For a long period of time, ads are used to convey significant information and peo ple are learning many things from them. The very proof why ads are effective is their continuing existence in the media, and other related mass communication today. If they are not that effective, then they should have been long banished and should never be the primary options on the list among marketers and some people. However, certain ads should be banned in the interest of health, morality, annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc due to the following reasons. Advertisements distort reality The advancement of technology makes it possible for advertisers to distort reality by creating much of virtual reality (Frith & Mueller, 2010). It has long been contended that advertisements tend to distort the reality, but the availability of much advanced technology has become the doorway to create more virtual reality. There are many available animated commercial advertisements today that try to distort the picture of reality. What the advertisers try to promote is th e product itself and not the entire concept of the social reality. These highly animated commercials are without question attractive to the extent they can actually catch attention. Some of them moved out from the bound of morality and other relevant social issues. These ads might be considered the reality among children so it is important to consider that unrealistic ads should be totally

Use of Fear Appeal Messages in Advertising Essay

Use of Fear Appeal Messages in Advertising - Essay Example A harmonious and catchy tune ensures that the brand remains synonymous with people’s wishes and desires of the product that is being discussed. It also guarantees that it remains close to their heart and thus associations are built with the brand whenever there is some form of linkage with the brand in one way or the other. Another effect that can be had from these messages is that they build a solid and heart warming relationship with the consumers and the rapport is rock solid when it comes to the potential users of the brand. The message is a significant milestone in the marketing communications philosophy. This dissertation aims to investigate the basis of the research aspects related with fear messages that are incorporated into the advertising world of today and how they connect with the target and potential audiences on a one to one level. It will study the shock form of advertising and thus would look to manifest the basis for its plus points as well as the downsides. This is done so as to find a common ground that needs to be reached in order to meet a point of significance for the fear messages that are being published in different media vehicles and types. This would assist everyone related with the research of such messages on a global level and hence a lot of incentives could be drawn up for brands and/or organizations. These brands and/or organizations are the ones considering these people are thinking on the lines of investing on fear form of messages for the particular brands and/or organizations. Also, the ethical and moral constructs would be discussed so as to give the other side of the picture – a side taken by the societal norms, values and belief hierarchy. The conclusions and recommendations that could be drawn from the analysis of the research done on the fear aspect of messages in advertising is that they are beneficial for the brands and/or

Book vs. Film(life of pi) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Book vs. Film(life of pi) - Essay Example The second part describes the circumstances that led to the sea voyage that forms the core of the story, and the third section is a detailed description of Pi’s experiences at sea. The fourth and final section of the novel includes the author’s sentiments and tells of Pi’s rescue and explains the how the story developed. Pi’s adventure starts when the ship they were sailing on gets shipwrecked and he is stranded on a life boat in the company of a Bengal Tiger named Richard parker. In the film, Pi is accompanied by Richard Parker, an Orangutan monkey, a Zebra and Hyena. This paper seeks to discuss Life of Pi by focusing on several points and the spirit of survival, its impact and significance in life. Pi was brought up as a Hindu by his family a characteristic that can be attributed to him being a vegetarian. As Pi grew older, he discovered the existence of Christianity and Islam religions, which he investigated and explored extensively. He came to the conc lusion that the three religions had their benefits thus; he decided to practice all of them since all he wanted was to love God (Martel, 2012). This is illustrated by his conclusion regarding the two visitors to their zoo who belonged to two different religious affiliations, yet they had identical names. Pi concluded that even though they belonged to two extremely different religious inclinations, they still sought to gain a higher understanding and love a higher supreme deity. Pi’s experience with the three religions can be construed to have prepared him to deal with what he faced at sea (Martel, 2012). The aspects above are better illustrated in the book than in the film adaptation because the book offers the reader the opportunity to use their imagination, understanding, perspective and insight to recreate the author’s intended premise. Pi faced a life threatening situation at sea and his faith in religion can be attributed to his triumph over adversity especially i n matters of faith when he was faced with doubt. The animals that were in Pi’s company on the life boat served to enlighten Pi on the need of being string when faced with adversity. The Hyena threatened Pi’s life by snarling at him an indication that it meant him harm. The hyena killed the grants zebra and the orangutan monkey then ate them after which Richard Parker the tiger killed and ate the hyena leaving it and pi as the sole occupants of the vessel. This served as a very significant lesson for pi because it helped Pi realize that in order for him to survive; he had to gain control of the tiger. This incident also taught Pi that the world was only meant for the strong and those who were ready to live by any means necessary (Martel, 2012). It helped Pi realize that the world had no room for the weak as illustrated by the way the hyena eliminated the other animals who could not fight or fend defend themselves on the life boat. Pi comes to the conclusion that in orde r to secure his survival he has to establish a hierarchy on the life boat so as to facilitate a peaceful coexistence between him and the tiger. Pi’s use of animal psychology and training techniques he learnt from their zoo is an illustration of how adversity has the ability of exposing an individual’s hidden potential and abilities. The film adaptation of the novel is more illustrative of the above aspects because the situation on the life boat is brought to life for the audience. The theme of life is

Nucor Corporation Case Essay Example for Free

Nucor Corporation Case Essay Summary: For more than 20 years the Nucor Corporation has been one of the leading manufacturers of steel and steel related products in the world. With their technology advancement, low debt ratio, decentralized type of organization and many more, this company still thrives to achieve better goals in their company. Aside from the positive views of the company, it also faced problems like bankruptcy. (te pakidagdagan n lng) History: Nucor traced its origins to auto manufacturer Ransom E. Olds, who founded Oldsmobile, and later, Reo Motor Cars. Through a series of transactions, the company eventually became the Nuclear Corporation of America, a company involved in the nuclear instrument and electronics business. In 1972, the firm changed its name to Nucor Corporation. By 1998, it had become America’s second-largest steel maker. Operations: Nucor related its diverse facilities in rural areas across the United States, establishing strong ties to its local communities and its work force. As a leading employer with the ability to pay top wages, it attracted hard-working, dedicated employees. These factors also allowed Nucor to select from among competing locales, siting its operations in states with tax structures that encouraged business growth and regulatory policies that favored the company’s commitment to remaining union-free. By mid-2008, Nucor operated 53 facilities throughout the United States and one in Point Lisas, Trinidad. The company also maintained operations through wholly owned subsidiaries, Harris Steel and the David J. Joseph Company (DJJ). Strategy: Nucor’s strategy focused on two major competencies: building steel manufacturing facilities economically and operating them productively. Organization Structure: Compared to the typical Fortune 500 company with 10 or more management layers, Nucor’s Structure was decentralized, with only the four management  layers illustrated below: Chairman / Vice Chairman / President Vice President / Plant General Manager Department Manager Supervisor Human Resource Policies: Employee relations at Nucor were based on four principles: 1. Management is obligated to manage Nucor in such a way that employee will have the opportunity to earn according to their productivity. 2. Employees should feel confident that if they do their jobs properly, they will have a job tomorrow. 3. Employees have the right to be treated fairly. 4. Employees must have an avenue of appeal when they believe they are being treated unfairly. Compensation: Nucor provided employees with a performance-related compensation system. All employees were covered under one of four compensation plan, each featuring incentives for meeting specific goals and targets. 1. Production Incentive Plan * employees directly involved in manufacturing were paid weekly bonuses based on actual output in relation to anticipated production tonnages produced. The bonuses were paid only for work that met the quality standards and were pegged to work group, rather than individual output. 2. Department Manager Incentive Plan * Department managers earned an annual incentive bonus based on the performance of the entire plan to which they belonged. The targeted performance criterion here was return on assets. 3. Non-Production and Non-Department Manager Incentive Plan * All employees not in the Production Incentive Plan or Department Manager Incentive Plan – including accountants, engineers, secretaries, clerks, and receptionists – received a bonus based primarily on each plant’s return on assets. It could total over 25% of an employee’s base salary. 4. Senior Officers Incentive Plan * Included all corporate executives and plant general managers. A portion of pre-tax earnings was placed into a pool that was divided among the officers. If Nucor did well, the officers’ bonuses, in the form of stock (about 60%) and cash (about 40%), could amount to several times their base salaries. If Nucor did poorly, an officer’s compensation was only base salary and, therefore, significantly below the average pay for this level of responsibility. Information Systems: Benefits: Nucor took an egalitarian approach toward employee benefits. Nucor’s benefit program also attested to the company’s commitment to education. Technology: Nucor did not have a formal RD department, a corporate engineering group, or a chief technology officer. Instead, it relied on equipment suppliers and other companies to do the RD, and they adopted the technological advancements they developed – whether in steel or iron making, or in fabrication. Teams composed of mangers, engineers, and machine operators decided what technology to adopt. Future: The company’s biggest challenge (in the future) is to continue to grow the company at 15 – 20% per year, and to keep earnings parallel with its growth. Analysis: Nucor Corporation became one of the top corporations in the steel industry because of their handwork and technology innovation. This company also sees and takes care of its employee’s needs, which in return gives them  a quality service in their work. Conclusion: Nucor, even though we can see it as a successful, almost perfect company, still faces problems like other businesses in the industry. Problem: The company has lost one-third to one-half of its market value when the stock reached its peak value (mid-2008), and has not recovered as of 2012. Recommendation: We can recommend change in the company’s technology, like getting more advance equipments in making steel and steel-related products. Or the company could make a merger to other company to utilize its resources to its maximum while keeping cost low.

Facts And History About The Peacock English Language Essay

Facts And History About The Peacock English Language Essay Peacocks belong to the pheasant family, Phasianidae. There are three species, or types, of peacock-the blue (or Indian) peacock, the green (or Javanese) peacock, and the Congo peacock. The only peacocks that have trains of tail feathers are the males of the blue and green types. Peacocks usually live in lowland forests. At night they sleep in trees. The blue peacock comes from southern Asia, while the green peacock comes from southeastern Asia. The Congo peacock is found in central Africa. In both the blue and green types, the males body is about 35 to 50 inches (90 to 130 centimeters) long. Its train of metallic green tail feathers is about 60 inches (150 centimeters) long. Each tail feather has a shining spot at the end of the feather that looks like an eye. A crest, or tuft of feathers, tops the males head. The peahen of both these species is green and brown. It is almost as big as the male. Male blue and green peacocks put on a showy display when trying to attract mates. The peacock lifts its train and spreads it like a fan. It then struts about and shakes its train, making the feathers shimmer and rustle. The Congo peacock is mainly blue and green. Its tail is short and rounded. The peahen is reddish and green. Source: Peacock. (2011). In Britannica Junior Encyclopedia. Retrieved January  22, 2011, from Britannica Online for Kids: http://kids.britannica.com/ elementary/ article-9353606/Peacock Green Invaders April 18, 2008 Green invaders are taking over America. Nope, not invaders from space. Plants. You might not think of plants as dangerous, but in this case they are threatening natures delicate food web. The invaders are plants from other countries brought here to make gardens and yards look pretty.   Ever since people started to arrive on Americas shores, theyve carried along trees, flowers, and vegetables from other places. Now there are so many of those plants, they are crowding out the native plants that have lived here since before human settlers arrived. And thats a problem, says Dr. Doug Tallamy. Hes an entomologist (an insect expert) at the University of Delaware. He explains that almost all the plant-eating insects in the United States-90% of them-are specialized. That means they eat only certain plants. Monarch butterfly caterpillars, for example, dine on milkweed. If people cut down milkweed and replace it with another plant, the butterflies will not have the food source that they need to survive. But the trouble doesnt stop there, it goes right across the food web. When insects cant get the right plants to eat and they die off, then the birds dont have enough bugs for their meals. Tallamy points out that almost all migrating birds depend on insects to feed their young. We cannot let the plants and animals around us disappear, says Tallamy. The way to preserve them is to give them food to eat. But when we plant non-native plants, we are clobbering the food web, because then we dont have the insects the birds need to live. Fewer of the right plants mean fewer bugs, and fewer bugs mean fewer birds. And thats bad for the Earth, because we need a variety of living things to keep the planet healthy and beautiful. The good news is, gardeners everywhere are working hard to protect native plants and get rid of the invaders. Many local garden centers sell native plants. Just Google native plants and your location, and you can find out which plants really belong where you live, says Tallamy. Planting the right things makes a real difference, and fast. He describes planting milkweed in a tiny city courtyard about the size of a living room one spring. By summertime, that milkweed patch had produced 50 new monarch butterflies! Tallamy encourages kids to go out and plant native plants. Adopt a bird species in trouble and see if you cant plant some things that will attract the insects they need, he suggests. It will happen-insects move around a lot, and they will find the plants you put out there for them! Text by Catherine Clarke Fox Fox, C. (2008). Green invader. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from national geographic kids: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com /kids /stories/animalsnature/ Chomp! Meat-Eating Plants March 14, 2007 I want people to get passionate about plants, says Lisa Van Cleef about a new exhibit at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. Everybody gets excited about the zoo and animals, but once you start looking at plants you find they have a lot going on, too! Especially the carnivores, or meat eaters, that use the sneakiest of tricks to trap their insect dinners. Take bladderworts, for example. They appear so small and delicate growing in a quiet pond. But these are the fastest-known killers of the plant kingdom, able to suck in unsuspecting mosquito larvae in 1/50 of a second using a trap door! Once the trap door closes on the victim, digestive enzymes similar to those in the human stomach slowly consume the insect. When dinner is over, the plant ejects the remains and is ready to trap again. Carnivorous plants grow in places with soil that doesnt offer much food value. You and I could take a vitamin pill, says Van Cleef. But these amazing plants have had to evolve over thousands of years, developing insect traps to get their nutritional needs met. Just look at all theyve done in the fight to survive.   The traps can be well-disguised to fool the eye, like pitcher plants, which get their name because they look like beautiful pitchers full of nectar. The Asian pitcher plant, for example, has a brightly colored rim and an enticing half-closed lid. Curious insects are tempted to come close and take a sip, then slide down the slippery slope to their deaths. Hair-like growths along the pitcher walls ensure that nothing can scramble out, and the digestive enzymes can get to work. A tiny insect called a midge might be digested in a few hours, but a fly takes a couple of days. Some of these pitchers are large enough to hold two gallons (7.5 liters). Carnivorous plants only eat people in science fiction movies, but once in a while a small lizard, rodent, or bird will discover that a pitcher plant isnt a good place to get a drink. Other plants have found different ways to grab a bite. Sundewsand butterworts snag snacks with flypaper-like stickiness, while the Venus flytrap snaps shut on its victims. Carnivorous plants grow mostly in wet areas, from sea level to the mountains. They may seem exotic, but if you live in the United States, you dont have to travel to faraway lands to see some. North America has more carnivorous plant genera than any other continent. If you cant travel to the exhibit in San Francisco, check out a carnivorous plant guidebook from your local library, and you may discover some growing in your neck of the woods! Fox, C. (2007). Chomp! meat-eating plants. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from national geographic kids: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ stories/ animalsnature/meat-eating-plants/ Basic Rule All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. Authors names are inverted (last name first); give the last name and initials for all authors of a particular work for up to and including seven authors. If the work has more than seven authors, list the first six authors and then use ellipses after the sixth authors name. After the ellipses, list the last authors name of the work. Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work. If you have more than one article by the same author, single-author references or multiple-author references with the exact same authors in the exact same order are listed in order by the year of publication, starting with the earliest. When referring to any work that is NOT a journal, such as a book, article, or Web page, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the second word in a hyphenated compound word. Capitalize all major words in journal titles. Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals. Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited collections. Please note: While the APA manual provides many examples of how to cite common types of sources, it does not provide rules on how to cite all types of sources. Therefore, if you have a source that APA does not include, APA suggests that you find the example that is most similar to your source and use that format. For more information, see page 193 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sixth edition. In-Text Citations: Author/Authors Summary: APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, second printing. Contributors:Elizabeth Angeli, Jodi Wagner, Elena Lawrick, Kristen Moore, Michael Anderson, Lars Soderlund, Allen Brizee, Russell Keck Last Edited: 2010-11-16 02:10:54 APA style has a series of important rules on using author names as part of the author-date system. There are additional rules for citing indirect sources, electronic sources, and sources without page numbers. Citing an Author or Authors A Work by Two Authors: Name both authors in the signal phrase or in the parentheses each time you cite the work. Use the word and between the authors names within the text and use the ampersand in the parentheses. Research by Wegener and Petty (1994) supports (Wegener Petty, 1994) A Work by Three to Five Authors: List all the authors in the signal phrase or in parentheses the first time you cite the source. (Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, Harlow, 1993) In subsequent citations, only use the first authors last name followed by et al. in the signal phrase or in parentheses. (Kernis et al., 1993) In et al., et should not be followed by a period. Six or More Authors: Use the first authors name followed by et al. in the signal phrase or in parentheses. Harris et al. (2001) argued (Harris et al., 2001) Unknown Author: If the work does not have an author, cite the source by its title in the signal phrase or use the first word or two in the parentheses. Titles of books and reports are italicized or underlined; titles of articles, chapters, and web pages are in quotation marks. A similar study was done of students learning to format research papers (Using APA, 2001). Note: In the rare case the Anonymous is used for the author, treat it as the authors name (Anonymous, 2001). In the reference list, use the name Anonymous as the author. Organization as an Author: If the author is an organization or a government agency, mention the organization in the signal phrase or in the parenthetical citation the first time you cite the source. According to the American Psychological Association (2000), If the organization has a well-known abbreviation, include the abbreviation in brackets the first time the source is cited and then use only the abbreviation in later citations. First citation: (Mothers Against Drunk Driving [MADD], 2000) Second citation: (MADD, 2000) Two or More Works in the Same Parentheses: When your parenthetical citation includes two or more works, order them the same way they appear in the reference list, separated by a semi-colon. (Berndt, 2002; Harlow, 1983) Authors With the Same Last Name: To prevent confusion, use first initials with the last names. (E. Johnson, 2001; L. Johnson, 1998) Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year: If you have two sources by the same author in the same year, use lower-case letters (a, b, c) with the year to order the entries in the reference list. Use the lower-case letters with the year in the in-text citation. Research by Berndt (1981a) illustrated that Introductions, Prefaces, Forewords, and Afterwords: When citing an Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterwords in-text, cite the appropriate author and year as usual. (Funk Kolln, 1992) Personal Communication: For interviews, letters, e-mails, and other person-to-person communication, cite the communicators name, the fact that it was personal communication, and the date of the communication. Do not include personal communication in the reference list. (E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2001). A. P. Smith also claimed that many of her students had difficulties with APA style (personal communication, November 3, 2002). Citing Indirect Sources If you use a source that was cited in another source, name the original source in your signal phrase. List the secondary source in your reference list and include the secondary source in the parentheses. Johnson argued that(as cited in Smith, 2003, p. 102). Note:When citing material in parentheses, set off the citation with a comma, as above. Electronic Sources If possible, cite an electronic document the same as any other document by using the author-date style. Kenneth (2000) explained Unknown Author and Unknown Date: If no author or date is given, use the title in your signal phrase or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses and use the abbreviation n.d. (for no date). Another study of students and research decisions discovered that students succeeded with tutoring (Tutoring and APA, n.d.). Sources Without Page Numbers When an electronic source lacks page numbers, you should try to include information that will help readers find the passage being cited. When an electronic document has numbered paragraphs, use the  ¶ symbol, or the abbreviation para. followed by the paragraph number (Hall, 2001,  ¶ 5) or (Hall, 2001, para. 5). If the paragraphs are not numbered and the document includes headings, provide the appropriate heading and specify the paragraph under that heading. Note that in some electronic sources, like Web pages, people can use the Find function in their browser to locate any passages you cite. According to Smith (1997), (Mind over Matter section, para. 6). Note: Never use the page numbers of Web pages you print out; different computers print Web pages with different pagination.